Take It Out On Me
by Madness of Infinity
Summary: Damon is tired of Elena coming to him for comfort after having a fight with Stefan, and he's decided to let the world know.


Disclaimer: I own nothing. The song is "Take It Out On Me" by Florida Georgia Line.

Hope you enjoy and please review!

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"Stefan! I don't want to go to the Grill tonight! We always go the Grill. Can't we go somewhere else? Somewhere new, and exciting?" I begged him. He was turned away from me, but I could see in his posture that he was rolling his eyes.

"Where do you want me to take you, Elena? Do you have any ideas? Name it, and we can go. No? Then we're going to the Grill." He walked out the door of the boarding house without another word. I was shocked by his abruptness, and hurt that he didn't want to take the effort to find a new place for us to go.

"Trouble in paradise?" A voice whispered in my ear. I shuddered.

"Damon, I can't right now. Stefan is waiting outside. I'll talk to you later." I went to leave, but his hand caught my elbow.

"My kind of later, or your kind of later?" He waggled his eyebrows as me. "I personally like your kind of later better." He winked.

"Damon!" I whispered. "Now is definitely not the time for that. I'm sorry that it happened, but I can't discuss it with you anymore. It happened. It's done. We're done." I turn and start to walk out the door.

"For now." He says, and it floats to me as I slam the door behind me. Stefan was waiting impatiently in the car for me. I think back to the early days when he would hold the door open for me, and was such a gentleman. I wonder where that Stefan went all the time these days. The Stefan I fell in love with and who fell in love with me.

I reach for the handle of the car door when there's a woosh, and the door opens for me. I look up to see Damon holding the door for me, and I smile in thanks at him. I can feel the anger rolling off of Stefan, and when Damon shuts the door after me, Stefan peels out of the drive. I see Damon standing in the side view and he waves and then is gone.

When we get to the Grill, it's more crowded than usual. This is a unique occurrence as Mystic Falls is a small town, so the population doesn't really get bigger. I look around and notice all of the signs up that say Karaoke Night, and I sigh. Stefan doesn't like to sing. He doesn't like to call attention to himself, then why are we even here? I turn back to tell Stefan that we can just go watch a movie back at my house, when I notice that he's gone.

I turn in circles looking around the Grill for him, when I finally spot him sitting at the bar. I walk over to him, and sit down next to him.

"What took you so long? I've been sitting here for 10 minutes." I glare at him and go to response snappily when a drink slides in front of me. Stefan had passed me a drink, and when I look down at it, I notice that it's tequila. I hate tequila. I push it back towards him and go to walk to the pool tables where I see Caroline, when I'm stopped yet again by a hand on my elbow.

"Take your drink. I bought it for you."

"I hate tequila and you know that. You love tequila, so cut the crap and just drink it. I'm going to talk to Caroline." I rip my arm out of his grasp, and stomp towards the pool tables. Just as I almost reach Caroline's table, someone gently grabs my shoulder. I turn to see Damon standing there with an understanding look in his eyes. He hands me a drink, and continues on his way. I look down and notice that it's a Coke. I look up in disbelief at Damon as he walks to join Ric at the bar a ways down from Stefan. How did Damon know that I wasn't drinking? I gave up drinking after the Original's ball, and haven't had a drop since.

I faintly hear the guy on the microphone announce the first person up, and I'm surprised that Damon's name is called. I watch as Damon approaches the microphone and looks about the audience.

His eyes lock on mine as he says, "This goes out to my favorite girl."

The lights dim slightly, and I feel like he is compelling me because my eyes won't leave his, as a country twang song starts up.

_What'd he do this time?  
Did he break your heart?  
I can tell you been crying...and baby here you are.  
And I always know any time you show up at my door past 11 o'clock that he really must've pissed you off. _

I'm shocked that he's singing this so publicly, and I can already feel the heat of Stefan's glare on my back. I try to plead with my eyes for Damon to stop, to stop this torture he feels that he must put me through. I see a faint shake of the head, and I know that he won't stop until his message is heard. The message he wants to send me, one that I really didn't want to hear right now.

_Take it out on me.  
Put your lips on mine.  
Let me take his wrong and make it right this time.  
Yeah, you can just come over, you ain't gotta call.  
You always got a shoulder anytime it all goes bad, when you're 'bout to break, when you're mad as hell, you can always take it out on me._

I always knew that I could count on Damon. After he stopped trying so hard to be bad, he became my closest friend. He was my rock when Stefan was taken by Klaus, and my anchor for when Stefan was released from Klaus' compulsion, yet hadn't given up human blood. He was the one that I could talk to about anything, and the one I could go to at 11 o'clock at night, when Stefan just didn't understand me.

The first time I went to his place after Stefan and I had a spat, I drove to the boarding house. I knocked hesitantly, in case Stefan had come back here. He answered the door, took one look at me, and pulled me into his arms. He brushed my hair back from my face, and wiped the tears from my eyes. He didn't ask, and I didn't tell, I just let him take me into his room, and hold me until I fell asleep. I didn't acknowledge it later. That I had snuck out while he was in the shower. The worst part was when Damon knew that I wouldn't talk about it and he let it go. He let go how horrible I was to him that morning. That didn't stop us from being friends, and it didn't stop me from coming the next time Stefan pissed me off.

That time I didn't call. I walked right in, and into the parlor where he was sipping bourbon and gazing into the fire. He sat up straighter when I came in, and I just went off on him about everything that was bothering me. He stood when I was done, with fire still shooting from my eyes, and he hugged me. It was everything I needed in that moment and I felt so grateful to him. I, unthinkingly, leaned up and kissed him chastely, but that triggered the domino effect. I had tasted his lips again, and this time I couldn't hold myself back. I pulled him in, and kissed him passionately. He didn't respond at first, but when I tugged the hair at the back of his skull, he twined one hand in my hair, and his other went to my lower back where he pulled me flush against him, and he kissed me like I'd never been kissed before. I was still angry at Stefan, so I may have gone a little crazy on him, but he seemed to enjoy it when he groaned after I ran my nails down his half-covered chest, inside where his button-down was hanging open. I caressed his impressive chest, as his hand ran teasingly up my side, gently caressing the sensitive side of my breast that was begging for his attention.

I pulled back for air, and he made his way down my neck and I moaned as he nibbled at my collarbone. I heard the snick of his fangs running out, and I pulled his head up to look at him. He tried to resist, but I ran my thumb across his bottom lip, and touched one of the points of his fangs. It nicked my thumb, and a small droplet of blood ran out onto his lip, which he then licked up. His eyes shot to mine to see how I was taking this, and I ran my pointer finger across the veins under his eyes. It was new that his vamped out face didn't scare me, whereas Stefan's vamped out face did, maybe because in Stefan's face, there was only bloodlust in his eyes, where Damon's eyes held tenderness, understanding, and love. When I recognized the love in his eyes, and the way that he softly stared at me adoringly, I ran.

I had thought that he had been okay with it, and everything would go back to normal, but apparently I had thought wrong, as my eyes were still locked with his baby blues and the way that they stared at me in the exact same way they did that night. I felt the feelings that I knew, but never admitted to, that I had for Damon start to rise up in me. This is going to sound like an excuse, but one of the main reasons that I am still with Stefan at all is that I am afraid that he's gonna fall off the edge again when I hurt him. I know I'll hurt him when I tell him that I fell for his brother when he was gone. Though, maybe Stefan needs this pain to come back to reality fully. I see Damon softly smile at me as he keeps singing, and a small smile appears on my lips, just for him.

_You can take it out on me baby.  
If you ever wanna leave, baby.  
In the middle of the night, that's alright...  
You can take, take.._

I knew that if I acknowledged my feelings for Damon, he'd be there for me 100% and he'd be the happiest man alive. I've thought about it, when Stefan is asleep beside me, how different my life would be if I had met Damon first, and fell for him first. I text him at that moment, in the middle of the night just to see how he is, as I know that being alone in that huge house is probably not the best environment. I know that I'm confusing him on my intentions, but when I'm not with Damon, I worry about him and think about him constantly. That should probably have been my first hint that I had feelings for him, but I didn't even start to feel friendly towards Damon until after his stint on his death bed. When I realized how easily I could lose him, I started to worry when I wouldn't see him, and think about what he was doing constantly. Now I can't see my life without him in it. When I think of Stefan, I see the holes where he left when the going got rough, or the pain he inflicted when he didn't get his way. I'm not saying that Damon is a saint, but he owns up to his true character where Stefan tries to hide behind lies and heroics.

_Take off your coat, baby come on in.  
Girl, let me help to get back at him.  
And I don't know why you never say goodbye...  
Whatever hell he's puttin' you through,  
I can't wait for you to take it out on me._

I knew that Damon was confused on why I didn't leave Stefan when all Stefan did nowadays was hurt me. Aside from pushing Stefan off the edge, there really isn't a reason that I'm not saying goodbye. I guess Stefan is the safe option. I know where I stand with him, and he's comfortable. Damon is like a wildfire, completely untamed and filled with passion that I'm afraid will burn me out. And I'm afraid that he'll get tired of me. I feel my smile disappear as I think this, and I notice that he has a frown on his face now as he sings. I don't mean to cause him this pain, and I think that Damon would be better off without me always hurting him. Yet I keep hurting him, every time I need to cool off from a fight with Stefan, and I keep taking it out on him, and he keeps taking what he can get of me.

_Put your lips on mine.  
Let me take his wrong and make it right this time.  
Yeah, you can just come over, you ain't gotta call.  
You always got a shoulder anytime it all goes bad, when you're 'bout to break, when you're mad as hell, you can always take it out on me.  
_

Even though that I know that I'm hurting Damon, I keep going back because he makes me feel safe and calm. He takes every wrong that Stefan did and makes it right in the blink of an eye. Damon just gets me, where Stefan doesn't. Stefan is predictable and boring, where Damon and I are spontaneous and exciting.

I can ague this with myself over and over, yet whenever I finally decide that I should leave Stefan and go to Damon, I find myself scared. Elena Gilbert is no coward, yet in matters of giving my heart to Damon Salvatore, there is fear there. Fear that he'll throw it back in pieces, yet there is also hope that he'll keep it and protect it forever. If only I could find the courage to just take that leap of faith…

_Yeah, I'll lay you down and love you just the way you should be.  
Baby, so now that you're ready.._

_Take it out on me._  
_You can take it out on me baby._  
_If you ever wanna leave, baby._  
_In the middle of the night, that's alright..._  
_You can take, take, take it out on me._

Hearing that line come from Damon's mouth is the kick start I need to jump into action. I am ready, and I have been for a while, it was my fear holding me back. I felt a huge smile appear on my face, as my heart started racing and butterflies started dancing in my stomach. This was it. This was our time. Right here, right now. I go to force my way to the front of the crowd that had gathered when my arm was grabbed, and I was yanked back from my spot in the crowd. I tripped and fell on the floor, my coke glass flying, and I look up to see…

_Put your lips on mine.  
Let me take his wrong and make it right this time.  
Yeah, you can just come over, you ain't gotta call.  
You always got a shoulder anytime it all goes bad, when you're 'bout to break, when you're mad as hell, you can always take it out on me._

"Stefan, why are you doing this? Why do you keep hurting me like this? What happened to the Stefan Salvatore that I fell in love with, because you certainly are not him." This may not have been the exact time for me to accuse him, as he was already furious with me from Damon's song.

"Me? I'm the problem? Where is the sweet, innocent girl that I fell in love with? You are certainly not her, because the Elena Gilbert that I love would not be whoring herself to my brother and betraying me over and over! That sounds more like Katherine Pierce to me!" I felt tears sting my eyes as I hear him compare me to Katherine, but I suck it up and stand.

"If that's how you feel Stefan, then I can't change your mind. I stayed with you because I am loyal, something that Katherine Pierce will never be, and I stayed with you because I loved you. I feel something for Damon, and I was going to let it go, but-"

"Wait, you _loved_ me? You _were_ going to let it go? What are you saying Elena?"

"I'm saying that I'm done with the cruel words and the crueler actions. I'm done with you and the pain that you have caused me. I'm done with you blocking me from my true love because of some sense of duty I felt to you. When you came back, I stayed because it was right at the time. I needed closure from you, and you've certainly given it to me. We're done, Stefan. It's over." By now, I'm in tears, and Stefan has the look of a wounded puppy.

"True love?" He whispered at me.

"Yes, you've kept me from my true love long enough." I look away from Stefan and catch Damon's eye.

_You can take it out on me baby.  
If you ever wanna leave, baby.  
In the middle of the night, that's alright...  
You can take, take, take it out on me._

As he finished his song, I made my way to the front of crowd with a huge smile on my face. He looked down at me, his eyes full of hope and he offered me his hand. I accepted and he pulled me onto the makeshift stage with him.

"Elena?" He looked at me questioningly.

"Yes Damon?"

"Who is your true love? Who is your true choice?"

I smile at him, and lean in close and whisper, "You." Then I walk off the stage and out the door. I hear Damon following me above the roar of applause that Damon receives for his song. I lean against the building right outside the door, and smile as he comes out right behind me.

He crowds me against the wall until we share the same breath.

"Do you mean it?" He searches my eyes for something, as the hope shines brightly in his. I cup his face in my hands and look him straight in the eye.

"I choose you, Damon. I love you." The hope in his eyes changes to happiness and love.

"Say it again." He presses in even closer to me.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore. You are my only choice." Then I lean in, and kiss him as I ignore the tears of joy running down both of our faces.

He pulls back after a minute and says, "I love you too, Elena Gilbert."

I beam at him, and say, "Say it again."

He smirks at me, and breathes out, "I love you."

I push back against him. "I'm happy that I took everything out on you."

He smiles and responds, "Me too, though I don't want to sing about it anymore."

I roll my eyes good naturedly, and pull myself away from him and the building.

"We should go somewhe-," is all I get out before I'm pulled back, and being kissed like it's the beginning of something amazing.


End file.
